


Candy Everybody Wants

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: F/M, Family, Friendship, Humor, Romance, post-episode
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-11
Updated: 2014-10-11
Packaged: 2018-02-20 18:25:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2438483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The man sitting on the couch with her wasn’t the buttoned down Unit Chief who didn’t let anyone get behind his hazel eyes or his stern expression, this was someone else altogether.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Candy Everybody Wants

**Author's Note:**

> The title is from the 10,000 Maniacs song. I’m thankful to the muses/fic goddesses/voices in my head that I’m still getting ideas for this pairing. No matter what others I write in this fandom they will always be my first and true love. Spoilers for Devil's Night.

“C'mon g-man, lets go trick or treating.” Hotch picked Jack up in his arms, smiling at the little version of himself. He never wanted Jack to think his job in the FBI was some glamorous thing but he had to admit it was really awesome that he’d picked to go as his father for Halloween.

“I hope I get lots of candy.” Jack said.

“How could you not? You have the best costume ever.”

“I came up with it all by myself, Daddy.”

“I know. It was a really great idea.” He put Jack on the floor. “Maybe we should fix this tie though; it’s a little crooked.”

“I tried to do it like you showed me. Tying it was hard.”

“It takes lots of practice.” Hotch replied. “I wear one everyday so I should be able to fix it just right.”

“I wanna wear a tie everyday when I grow up, Daddy.”

“Hmm, I thought you said you wanted to chase alligators when you grow up. I don't know if a tie would be a good idea out in the swamps, buddy.”

“But I can if I want to, right?” Jack held tight to his pumpkin-shaped bucket for his Halloween spoils as his father worked on the tie.

“You can do whatever you want, Jack. Ties in the swamp…you might start a new trend.”

Hotch grinned, dimples poking into his cheeks. He gave his son a little tickle and Jack laughed. Those Hotchner dimples had been passed down to the next generation. A knock on the door made Jack look in that direction. His father finished up his tie…now he was perfect.

“Do you think its trick or treaters?” Jack asked, happily being picked up by his father again. “We don’t have any candy.”

“I don't know, but we better get to the door and see.”

They walked over to the door and Hotch told Jack to look out of the peephole. He did, gasping in surprise.

“It’s Agent Emily!” he exclaimed.

Hotch could hear Emily laugh a bit in the hallway.

“I hope you don’t mind but I invited her to go trick or treating with us tonight.” Hotch said. “She loves Halloween almost as much as you do.”

“Open the door, Daddy!” Jack practically shouted.

Well, that was Hotch’s answer. He opened the door and couldn’t stop the gasp that came out of his throat.

“Hi Agent Emily!”

“Captain Jack!”

Emily took him from his father’s arms and spun him around. Hotch watched as they both laughed. Then Jack gave her a big hug and a messy kiss on the cheek. He wore the biggest grin on his little face.

Hotch always loved to see his son smile. But ever since Haley died, Jack’s smile was even more significant. All he wanted was for his little boy to be happy despite what they’d been through. Even a blind man could see how happy Agent Emily seemed to make him.

“That is an awesome Halloween costume.” She said. “Tell me what you are.”

“I'm my daddy.”

“Oh my goodness, that’s the cutest thing ever. I think you might be the most adorable FBI Agent we’ve ever had.”

“Really?”

“For sure.” she kissed his cheek and put him down.

“What are you, Agent Emily?”

“I'm a cheerleader.” She replied. “I’d do a little chant for you but I left my pom-poms in the car.”

“That’s unfortunate.” Hotch said, managing to suppress his grin.

Emily smirked and struck a pose that made Jack giggle. She wore a blue and yellow cheerleader uniform; those were the colors of the FBI. On the front of her sweater it said BAU. On her feet were white sneakers with one blue pom-pom and one yellow pom-pom.

Her hair was in pigtails held by pom-pom barrettes. Hotch could hardly believe his eyes, or the dirty thoughts that raced through his mind at 100 MPH. Emily Prentiss had been no angel in high school, surely no cheerleader. She was making up for lost time tonight.

“I think you look adorable too.” Jack said. “Right, Daddy.”

“Right buddy. We better get out of here before all the candy is gone.”

Emily crouched down to help Jack into his lightweight jacket, it was a beautiful night, and then they were off.

“Didn’t you bring a jacket, Prentiss…I mean, Emily?” Hotch asked, silently chastising himself for calling her by her last name. It was a hard habit to break.

“I didn’t want to cover the costume. Isn’t it fabulous?”

“Um, I like it. But I don’t want you to catch cold.”

“I’ll be fine. I'm wearing a tank top under the sweater and it’s pretty warm by itself.”

“Your legs are bare.” Hotch reasoned. Your legs are bare and beautiful. Damn, they're beautiful. He shook off the thought of having them wrapped around his waist or his shoulders by staring down at his son, happily walking between them and holding both of their hands.

“Hotch, I survived the Swiss Alps and Ukrainian winters. It’s practically a summer night compared to that. But my car is right around the corner. If you really want me to get my jacket then I will.”

“Well…if you think your sweater is warm enough then OK. We won't be out too long.”

“Where are we going?” Emily asked.

“Three blocks over, it’s a nice residential area.” Hotch replied. “Last year Jack scored pretty well there.”

“I got tons of candy.” The four year old added. “Mommy had to help me eat it all. Will you help me this year, Agent Emily?”

“You bet I will. I love candy. My mother always told me I had a sweet tooth.”

“Which one?” Jack asked.

“Which one what, Jack?”

“Which tooth is your sweet tooth?”

Emily and Hotch both laughed. Jack looked back and forth between them, a confused look on his face.

“Unfortunately sometimes it’s all of them. We should do our best to collect lots of candy tonight.”

“Yay!”

Jack was excited and his emotion rubbed off on his father and Emily. Hotch had been looking forward to this night for a while. He and Jack made a lot of Halloween preparations; planned for a good time. His invitation to Emily was extended at the last minute. Their trip to Detroit was even more last minute than that.

It was pure luck that they made it back in time for the big day. Hotch found that he had to cancel things with Jack much more than he ever wanted to. Jessie was there to pick up the slack, as she promised to be, but he didn’t want to be that father. He didn’t want his son to get used to being let down. Jack had lost enough and they all knew it.

Hotch could never bring his mother back to him. But he could be the best father he knew how to be and raise a happy, loving boy. Little moments like trick or treating were important in that process. He knew Emily knew how important this time was as well. That’s why he invited her to come along.

Hotch wanted her to know that Jack was doing well; she always asked about him. The whole team did but with Emily it just seemed to be something more. The few times Hotch opened his door to her, let her spend time with his son, it seemed to be a good thing for all three of them. Jack was asking about her more and more…he was happy to be able to give his son this surprise tonight.

“Hey Jack, what do you say when someone opens the door tonight?” Emily asked.

“Trick or treat!” he shouted.

“You can say it just a little bit lower, buddy.” Hotch said, grinning.

“I wanna make sure they hear me. If they don’t hear me, I don’t get candy, Daddy.”

“Well…”

“Maybe if we all say it together then you won't have to shout as loud.” Emily suggested. “Let’s try it on three. One, two, three…”

“Trick or treat.” Hotch, Emily, and Jack all said it at the same time.

“I think that might be perfect.” Hotch looked at Emily and she smiled.

***

“Is he asleep?” Emily asked as Hotch walked back into the living room.

She was on his almost comfortable couch with a large plate of sugar cookies shaped like pumpkins, witches, and cats. She also had a large glass of milk. There were assorted torn candy wrappers on the coffee table, junkie style. Emily Prentiss definitely looked as if she had a sweet tooth. She’d taken off her sneakers and curled up on one of the big pillows. Her cheerleader skirt had risen up some but it was still covering everything it needed to. Hotch sat down by her feet.

“He’s out like a light.” He replied. “I think I overindulged him tonight.”

“Don’t be silly. Today is the second most important day on the kid calendar.”

“I let Jack stay up ninety minutes past his bedtime.”

“Yeah, I know but…didn’t you have fun tonight?”

Hotch had a blast. They spent an hour trick or treating in two residential DC neighborhoods. Jack was a big hit as a little FBI Agent and he came home in triumph with spoils from the evening. The three of them had turkey burgers and fries for dinner before Jack was allowed to eat a little of his Halloween candy. As promised, Emily helped him in that department.

Then they settled in on the couch to watch _A Pup Named Scooby Doo_ Halloween special. It wasn’t necessarily purposeful that Jack stayed up past his bedtime. Hotch was having a great time with Emily and his son. But when 9:20 came and went, he knew it was time to put a cap on the evening.

“Tonight was great. Jack deserved this.”

“I think you deserved it too.” Emily replied, holding out the plate. “Have a cookie.”

Hotch smiled, taking one of the cats. He bit the tail off first and wondered what it meant. He was a profiler but he spent enough time wondering what made people tick. He didn’t want to do it tonight; he surely didn’t want to do it to himself.

“Mmm.” He smiled.

“Yeah, they are pretty good. You're a good baker.”

“I just shaped them and stuck them in the oven. Actually, I bought the flat dough in this great bakery in Alexandria near Jessie’s place. We already had the cookie cutters from last year so it’s not a big deal.”

It was to Emily. She loved seeing this side of Hotch. She couldn’t quite call it the domestic side since he still seemed to be uncomfortable in his role as primary parent. But he was such a wonderful father to Jack. It was about more than cookies and costumes; the love between the two of them was deep and obvious.

Even with the stutter steps, Emily knew what it meant to him to be there as much as he could for his son. The man sitting on the couch with her wasn’t the buttoned down Unit Chief who didn’t let anyone get behind his hazel eyes or his stern expression, this was someone else altogether. Emily had been with him a few times and she felt lucky because of it. She couldn’t say why Hotch chose to let her in after so many years of shutting her out. Maybe he needed help or a friend. She wanted to be that for him; wanted to be something for Jack as well.

Haley would never be replaced, and neither would Jessie. But Emily’s heart soared whenever she saw Jack’s eyes light up or his sweet little smile. She loved cuddling on the couch with him for some Scooby Doo. They put together puzzles, played with action figures, and even had some deep conversations about his thoughts and feelings. It was just a tiny piece of his life, little moments, but Emily wouldn’t trade them in for anything.

“You weren't kidding when you said you had a sweet tooth, were you?” Hotch asked.

“How long have you known me?” Emily countered. She drank her glass of milk and knew it was better to stop for the evening. She’d have to run sometime this week to recover from tonight’s festivities. Oh well, she didn’t indulge very often.

“I guess I just never noticed.”

That wasn’t quite true. Hotch noticed a lot of things about Emily…he noticed everything. From the day she came into his office with that box and her transfer papers, he’d been watching Emily Prentiss. In the beginning it was for completely different reasons than it was now. That didn’t matter, he was always watching her.

He knew her quirks, nervous ticks, things that made her laugh, and what most of her facial expressions meant. Hotch knew when she was tired, hungry, pissed off, or battling her demons. Despite all of that, he still managed to keep her at arm’s length. She wasn’t that far away tonight; hadn't been for some time. Just what he planned to do about that Hotch had no idea.

“Hmm.” Emily replied, sitting up. She grabbed her sneakers from under the coffee table, untied them, and slipped them on her feet.

“You're leaving?” he hoped he didn’t sound as dissatisfied as he felt.

“Its getting late and it is a school night.”

“I was going to put on a pot of coffee. I thought we could talk.”

“Coffee?” Emily stopped tying her shoe and looked at him.

“Yeah, and there’s a surprise for you in the first kitchen drawer.”

“What?”

“C'mon, I’ll show you.”

Intrigued, Emily slipped the sneakers off again and followed him into the kitchen. Hotch stood there while she opened the drawer and pulled out the black cherry vanilla cloves.

“Where did…?”

“You left them here two weeks ago. I don't know anything about cloves so I don’t know if they’re even any good but I know you like evening coffee with a twist.”

“Staying a little while might be nice.” She replied.

Hotch smiled before turning to work on the coffeemaker. He’d done up a special blend of coffee for the evenings, half-caf and half-decaf, so he would still get to sleep at night. He was usually more of a tea man but when Emily came over they would always enjoy a cup. He even bought a nice Kenyan blend that he knew she was fond of.

“Do you mind if I ask a question?” he asked, tinkering with the filter.

“Nope.” Emily shook her head and sat down at the kitchen table.

“Where did you get the idea for the Halloween costume?”

“Well it was either a cheerleader or a 50s housewife. I went for the one that didn’t require heels.”

Hotch laughed. Emily held up a clove and he nodded that it was OK. He wasn’t overly fond of the habit but he knew she wasn’t a chain smoker. It was something she did to come down from long days at the BAU. Emily hadn't worked today but you didn’t change nightly rituals just because days were different. He didn’t do it so why would she.

“I don’t know,” he said. “A 50s housewife would’ve been quite interesting.”

“Why don’t you tell me why you didn’t dress up, Agent Hotchner?”

He didn’t quite have an answer for that but liked where the conversation was going. This beat talking about serial killers and crime scenes by a mile. Just the two of them was quite nice; Hotch was looking for more ways to have that happen. Emily didn’t seem uncomfortable with the situation.

She could’ve left but she stayed. That said something to him. He didn’t want to get in over his head; he just wanted to spend time with her. Spending time with her in a cheerleading uniform could never be a bad thing.

“I guess Halloween just isn’t my holiday. You seem to enjoy it though.”

“Sometimes its fun to be someone else for a little while.” Emily replied.

“I don’t know...I like Emily Prentiss just fine.”

“She has her moments.” She took the cup of coffee from Hotch. She didn’t have to worry; he always made it perfectly to her liking.

“Yes she does.”

He joined her at the table and they were quiet for a while. Emily cleared her throat.

“I like Aaron Hotchner too.”

He looked at her, a smile slowly moving across his lips.

“Would you like it if Aaron Hotchner kissed you?” Hotch couldn’t believe he got the question out but he did. What the hell was he going to do if she said no? What would he do if she said yes?

“Hotch…” Emily sighed.

“I didn’t mean to…I'm sorry that…”

She leaned across the table, quieting his sputtering with a kiss. Hotch’s hand came up to caress her face as he sighed into her mouth. Emily pulled away first. She pulled away before Hotch even came close to getting his fill of her. He wasn’t sure he would ever get his fill of her.

“Feel free to shut me up more often.” He said.

“I don’t know if you should give me that kind of power.”

“OK, asterisk, feel free to shut me up by kissing me more often.”

“I don’t want either one of us to do something we regret.” Emily said.

“The only thing I regret will be you walking out the door, Emily.”

“I didn’t say I was leaving. This is really good coffee.”

Hotch smirked, reaching for her hand. When he squeezed she sighed.

“You don’t seem like the kind of guy I would date.” She said quietly.

“Why not?”

“Because you're the kind of guy I would fall in love with.”

“At least then I’d know we were on the same page.” He replied.

“Aaron…”

“Yes.” He nodded, his statement clear. “I tried to talk myself out of it a million times. I didn’t want either one of us to get hurt. I didn’t want Jack to get hurt. But I don’t want to talk myself out of it anymore. I want to live.”

Emily didn’t know what to say. She knew what was running through her mind but articulating it was going to be difficult. Now just wasn’t the time. She wanted it to be but it wasn’t. Not wanting the coffee to get cold, Emily finished it and moved the cup away.

“It’s getting late; I really should go.”

“Alright.”

She stood up and he did as well. Emily quickly put on her shoes, just wanted to get out of there. She stopped halfway to the door.

“Can I look on in Jack before I leave?” she asked.

“Of course.”

Emily walked over to his half opened door and peeked into the room. Jack was curled in bed with his teddy bear, sound asleep. His face was so peaceful; Emily said a little prayer he was having sweet dreams. Then she went to the front door.

“Drive safely. Let me know that you got home safely.”

“I will. Goodnight, Aaron.” She gave him a soft kiss on the lips.

Hotch wrapped his arms around her, deepening the kiss. They stood by the door and just kissed. Emily hardly knew if five minutes went by or twenty. She just knew how good it felt to be held by him. It felt even better to be kissed by him. Hotch made her weak in the knees and he knew it. She didn’t quite know that she made him feel the same way.

Finally mustering up the strength to break away, Emily left his arms and then his apartment. He closed the door behind her and she spent a few minutes in the hallway gathering herself. This was the last thing she ever expected to happen to her. Jack wasn’t the only one who got treats tonight. There might be a new reason to love Halloween. There were already so many reasons to love Aaron Hotchner.

***

  



End file.
